America First Legal Foundation, a nonprofit organization led by former members of President-elect Donald Trump’s initial administration, is taking legal action against the National Science Foundation to obtain records related to the agency’s prioritization of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
According to AFL’s lawsuit, the NSF received the records request in 2023 but has allegedly failed to produce them in a timely manner, which would be a violation of the Freedom of Information Act.
The lawsuit was filed on Oct. 30 in federal court following a report by Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas and the ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which accused the Biden-Harris administration of politicizing science.
The report alleges that since Biden assumed office in 2021, the NSF has granted over $2 billion in federal funding to numerous scientific research projects that promote DEI or advocate neo-Marxist perspectives on enduring class struggle. The report claims that the percentage of such awards grew from 0.29 percent of all new grants in 2021 to 27 percent by 2024.
“The Biden-Harris administration has misappropriated billions in federal taxpayer funds intended for vital scientific research to advance anti-intellectual, anti-science, and anti-American DEI and leftist ideology,” AFL stated in a press release. “Allocating taxpayer money to radical initiatives under the guise of ‘science’ represents the pinnacle of government weaponization, waste, fraud, and abuse. AFL remains committed to exposing the racism of the Biden-Harris administration, halting the misuse of taxpayer funds, and safeguarding the integrity of our publicly-funded research efforts.”
AFL has stated that it is probing the NSF’s backing of DEI initiatives during the Biden-Harris administration, which involved submitting a public records request in 2023 for resumes and other employee documentation “to gain better insight into the backgrounds of individuals appointed to the NSF,” as outlined in the lawsuit.
These records are central to AFL’s grievance against the NSF, as AFL believes that their release would bolster conservative assertions that the Biden-Harris administration’s emphasis on DEI has compromised the scientific research sector.
“Scientific research funded by the federal government plays a crucial role in our national security and economic prosperity. Every dollar is significant,” stated Reed D. Rubinstein, AFL’s senior vice president, in the press release. “Building on Senator Cruz’s efforts, AFL’s oversight will pinpoint the wrongdoers in the government and beyond, setting the stage for accountability.”
The NSF did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.